The start of 2023 has been tricky for many business owners, and you may have found yourself with many hats to wear. Sales, marketing, photography, packing orders, bookkeeping, admin and everything else that comes with running a business. It can be overwhelming, and it’s easy to let things slip, like keeping your website updated.
While it may not seem important, keeping your website up-to-date and regularly adding new content is not only helpful for your customers, it helps Google to understand your business and will make your site easier for people to find.
What should I do to keep my website updated?
Think about your content, and who it was written for. If your site is quite old your content may have been written for search engines, with keywords stuffed in everywhere and not exactly user-friendly. Your target market may have changed since you started your business, and the tone of voice you used isn’t quite right, or the content might just be out of date and need a rewrite.
Adding new content to your website on a regular basis helps to keep your customers informed, entices new customers, and tells Google that your business is still trading and is active.
Design
Website design trends change over time, and an old-fashioned design ages a website. A good website needs to be easy to use, and have a simple layout and content that says exactly what you do. Good photography is essential for a good user experience, and make sure you write clearly and with good grammar. Add plenty of calls to action, so it’s clear what you expect people to do ie SHOP NOW, GET IN TOUCH or MEET THE TEAM. And make it easy for people to complete a purchase if you have an online shop.
Opening hours
Have you changed your opening times recently but haven’t changed them on the website? You don’t want to miss out on sales because people don’t know when you’re open or disappoint people who come to shop but you’re closed. Don’t forget to update your hours everywhere including social media and directory listings.
Adding an online store
Is it time to upgrade your business to offer online sales? Adding an online shop gives you an extra string to your bow, and as more and more people want to buy online an online shop is almost essential for product-based businesses. If you don’t know what you’re doing speak to your webmaster who will be able to help you. A good e-commerce platform will give you plenty of functionality to allow sales and stock management, easy updating of products and information, and will show you your revenue in an easy-to-view format.
New services or products
Maybe you’ve added new products or services but haven’t had time to add them to the website, or COVID made you rethink your offering and you had to diversify. If you don’t tell people, they won’t know, so put aside some time to check your products and/or services are correct.
Prices
Keeping your prices correct is essential to avoid any issues with customers. Having to let things go for less than the RRP isn’t great for your bottom line, and neither is arguing over prices with people. It can lead to lost sales and bad reviews. Whenever you change your prices make sure you check them on your website too.
Testimonials
Testimonials and reviews are a great selling tool, so add new ones as you get them, or set aside a specific time each month to add them. Having some on the homepage is always a good idea, with a link to a specific page. The newest ones should show at the top. And don’t forget to check spelling and grammar, sometimes customers make a mistake so you need to correct them before publishing.
If you feel that you would benefit from help keeping your website updated please get in touch. We offer monthly retainers that give you access to all of our services including content creation, marketing, photography, SEO, copywriting and graphic design.
If you’re interested in working with us we’d love to have a chat.
Get in touch on 01964 542916 or email [email protected] for a no-obligation chat.